1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to devices, systems, and processes suitable for treating waste streams containing organic compounds, and more particularly, for treating waste streams containing hydrocarbons.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposing of hydrocarbon-containing waste streams often poses costly problems for various industries. For example, disposing of waste generated from drilling oil wells is not only increasingly expensive, suitable disposal sites are also increasingly scarce. Hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or fracking, a method used in oil and gas drilling, uses high pressure water in combination with sand and chemicals to break apart underground rock formations, thereby releasing oil and/or gas trapped therein. Hydraulic fracturing typically generates large volumes of waste requiring disposal or remediation. In some instances, hydraulic fracturing generates thousands or even millions of liters of waste per day per well. The cost of environmentally responsible disposal of large amounts of waste makes oil or gas production unfeasible in some locations.